New regulations on hazardous materials on the Baltic Sea floor

Thousands of tons of hazardous substances – remnants of war, chemicals, shipwrecks – have been lying on the bottom of the Baltic Sea for years. Now, the state is finally taking action regarding this ticking time bomb. President Andrzej Duda has signed an amendment to the Act on Maritime Areas, which organizes the rules for identifying, monitoring, and neutralizing underwater threats. Clear procedures and improved cooperation between institutions are to be the key elements. Is this the first real step toward disarming the Baltic?

The scale of the problem of sunken hazardous materials in Polish maritime areas

The problem of sunken hazardous materials in Polish maritime areas is serious, although its full scale remains difficult to estimate. So far, just over 30 percent of these areas have been thoroughly examined, significantly hindering the assessment of the actual threat. Analyses show that there are 639 precisely located point objects on the Baltic Sea floor, such as ammunition, weapons, explosives, or shipwrecks containing fuel, petroleum products, or other dangerous materials. Additionally, 44 areas have been identified where similar threats are likely to occur, although their exact location has not been determined – they have been outlined based on historical data, eyewitness accounts, and other sources.

The insufficient reconnaissance of the Baltic seabed poses a serious threat to both maritime safety and the protection of the marine environment. A full inventory and neutralization of these materials require significant financial resources and close cooperation between various services and institutions. In response to these challenges, the new regulations impose an obligation on the directors of maritime offices to maintain registers of studies on hazardous materials, which is intended to facilitate enforcement of regulations and increase knowledge about the scale of the problem. Entities planning to neutralize these materials will be required to obtain permission from the appropriate director of the maritime office, further organizing the process.

Funding for research and other legislative changes

Support for these activities is to come from funding of 28 million euros under the National Recovery Plan (KPO). In addition, the new regulations introduce changes in other areas, such as the extension of the deadline for returning funds transferred by the Ministry of Infrastructure to the port authorities in Gdynia, Szczecin, and Świnoujście. These are funds obtained from treasury securities, intended for investment in access infrastructure, mainly the construction of protective breakwaters. The deadline for returning these funds has been extended from December 31, 2027, to the end of 2031, which is meant to allow for their more flexible and efficient use.

The act will enter into force 14 days after its publication, except for the provisions concerning the register of sunken hazardous materials, which will be maintained by the Hydrographic Office of the Navy. These will come into force only six months after the date of publication, allowing time to prepare for the new obligations.